Botanical

Chapter Five: The Treehouse

 "Are you sure this is safe?" Lycon asked nervously, looking around the dark, foggy forest.

 "Of course. The animals won't bother us during the day," Lilium assured her. 

 "I don't like this." Lycon was still hesitant to venture deeper into the dark forest, where the trees blocked out the sun. 

 "I love it," Veera said, placing her palm on the trunk of a mossy oak. "This is my dream place!"

 The Hollowkross Woods were large and extensive. They surrounded the rolling hills of the citrisyard and went on for hundreds of miles in every direction. They were dark, deep, and mysterious, covered in moss and vines with a large population of oaks and pines. The animals that dwelled there were bears, wolves, wild griffins, fish and kelpies in streams, and hawks. Veera was in love.

 They each carried a tightly woven grass basket and were looking for herbs to make their potions. Veera was searching for bedouin, a tiny purple herb with curly tendrils. Lycon was nervously scouting for univy. 

 Suddenly, Lilium's watch sang. Lycon screamed and fell to the ground. Veera giggled at her.

 "Hello?" Lilium said into the watch. She held it to her ear. "Yes . . . really? Okay, be right there . . . careful, yes . . . girls . . . fine. See you soon."

 "What?" Lycon asked, brushing dirt off her backside as she stood up.

 Lilium looked at them. "En has discovered something in the human world with a slight connection to Lycon's parents. We're going to go investigate."

 Lycon's brow crinkled. "How? What is it?"

 "I can't tell you unless it's genuine," Lilium said, shaking her head sadly. "But we'll be away for a week. I'm sorry, but if it's really linked to your parents, it's worth looking into."

 "Where will we stay?" Veera asked.

 "I don't know. I can't leave you with anyone else."

 "We can stay alone," Veera offered. "We took care of ourselves in the mill."

 "The Citrisyard isn't a discreet place. You need more security." Suddenly, Lilium's glum face lit up. "Wait - I know the perfect place! Let's go check in with En, and we'll pack your bags."

 They turned around and tramped back through the woods. Soon, the gnarled trees began to spread apart and the house could be seen. Veera turned into a griffin and invited Lilium and Lycon to climb on her back. They sped towards the building at break-neck speed.

 "En?" Lilium called. She hopped off Veera and Lycon followed.

 "Here," En called from a second-story window. "Packing."

The girls and Lilium hurried upstairs. En had a large bag and was stuffing unrecognizable items into it.

 "Hi, Lil," he said. "Sorry for the short notice, girls. But this is important."

 "En, did you have an idea for where they'll stay?"

"Nope," En said, slinging the bag onto his back. "We can't trust anyone with them now that they're here, and we can't leave them at the Citrisyard alone."

 "Then why don't we bring them to the Treehouse?" Lilium went to the closet and pulled out a blue bag. En's eyes lit up.

 "Actually - that's a great idea! It's secluded, safe, discreet - no one will know they're there! And it's stocked with food, clothes, and has a safe cellar! They'll be able to go outside instead of being on lockdown! It's perfect!"

 "What's the Treehouse?" Lycon asked.

 "Just a little place I built with my friends when I was young," Lilium said, smiling. "Haven't been there since. But we used to spend so much time there. We were all Foresters, so we used our abilities to create a unique four-season tree house."